Vino Divino

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
John 2 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” (John 2:7-10, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
Picture yourself being back in Jesus’ day as an attendee of this wedding.  The wine runs out.  Ahh!!! 

In today’s world if someone runs out of wine at a wedding it might be an irritation to some, but everyone will eventually get over it.  In Jesus’ day running out of wine was a social disaster.  It would have been seen as a shame on the family and potentially bad luck to the bride and groom.  This would change the way the family was viewed by everyone around them.  And since this wedding involved the entire village, and several people from neighboring villages too, the impact was huge on the family.  

Mary immediately went to her son, Jesus, to tell him that the wine ran out.  Obviously, she was expecting that he could change that, so the family would not be disgraced.  It’s really hard to know what her motivation behind this would have been.  Did she know the family personally?  It’s likely that she did.  Back in those days everyone knew everyone in their little circles.  Is it possible that she was remembering her own shame when her village looked down upon her (and really shunned her) when her pregnancy became public?  That’s possible too.  I honestly don’t know, I’m just asking the question.  

Jesus’ answer to her was basically, “And that affects you and me how?  It’s not my time yet.”  Obviously Jesus didn’t see it as his problem, until his mother went to the servants and told them, “Do whatever he tells you” (verse 5).  Then Jesus took over.  He had them fill six jugs of water.  These weren’t just any jugs.  They were jugs used for Jewish purification rites.  That is, washing their hands and feet, as required by the Jewish law.  Also for washing their plates and cups, and anything else to “purify” as the need may be.  Using these jugs were meant to be a sign to the world that God was doing a new thing from within the old Jewish system, bringing purification to the world in a whole new way.  When the jugs were filled, he had them draw the water and take it to the master of the banquet to taste.  When he tasted it, he realized it was a very fine wine.  So much better than what they had run out of previously.  

So what does this story teach us?  Well, it teaches us that Jesus can—and does still—have an effect on people’s lives.  Jesus wants us to live the best life possible.  He died for that life.  He died for your life.  He died for my life, for your neighbors, for your coworker, for the man or woman begging for money on the street.  He came to change the world.  He came to make a difference.  He came to save us. He came to purify us.  

How often do we dwell on our own failures or disappointments?  We all have them.  And if you think about it, you might realize that not only do they dominate our thoughts, but actually how often do they keep us from reaching our full potential?  ALL THE TIME!  We think, “Oh, I’m not cut out for that”… “I’m not as good at that as he is”… “I can’t speak like she can”… “When I was 10 that didn’t go so well for me so…”  Before we’ve even tried to do the thing in question, we’ve already convinced ourselves that we can’t do it.  We’ve failed even before we’ve begun.  

One of my favorite sayings is “What you think about, you bring about.”  This is so true!  What if Jesus is asking you to do something important, but because you don’t think you measure up you don’t do it!

What if Moses never decided to follow God’s leading to take His people out of Egypt because of his stutter? 

What if Jesus gave into his fears in the Garden of Gethsemene on the night before he died and never had been taken captive?  

What if modern day people hadn’t followed God’s leading on their life?  People such as Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, Billy Graham, Greg Bland? 

You might be chuckling a bit right now (particularly at me using Greg as an example) but seriously, think about it.  What if Greg Bland had let his stutter keep him from becoming a minister?  What if he had decided not to come to Texas to check out Pedernales Valley Baptist Church?  What would our church look like?  How different would our lives be without the Bland family?

What if I had decided to ignore God’s voice in moving to Texas?  What if I had stayed in Maine and never met Tres?  I don’t even want to think about that…

Some of my examples above are light hearted or may seem silly—but what if—what if YOU are meant to do something great, and you don’t allow the purification of Jesus to come upon you?  Jesus is here.  He has your jug of water, and he’s waiting to turn it into fine wine.  Will you let him?


ONE MORE THING…
I also want to point out one more thing about the story above, did you notice it took place on the third day? I wonder what this little detail is meant to add to the story? Might it be a little foreshadowing of what God plans to do in and through Jesus on the third day?


WHO AM I?
My name is Kate Sansom and one of my thoughts upon reading this chapter was honestly “I really would love to taste that wine.”  It’s no secret, I like wine.  Can you imagine just how amazing wine would be from Jesus?  I am talking both literally and figuratively here.  I may not ever get to literally taste his wine, but I sure want to allow him to turn my water into wine—the finest wine possible.  I want my life to mean something for the Kingdom of God.  Our lives are so short in the grand scheme of things—I don’t want mine to be pointless.